Men are Mysteries
by Cellospice
Summary: On one fated evening, Lizzie believed that she was just going out on an ordinary date. She was not prepared to run into various men from her past. Oneshot.


A/N: All characters belong to Disney.

_Men are Mysteries_

Lizzie McGuire sat impatiently by the front door. Her date was about to pick her up for the evening and she really hoped that her parents wouldn't insist on meeting him. At 22, she had just moved back in with her parents. She had just graduated college and her parents agreed to let her live at home for the summer as long as she found a job and got her own place in the fall.

"Have a good time." Her mother Jo called from the kitchen. The family had just eaten dinner, so she was packing up the leftovers in plastic containers. Matt unhappily loaded dishes into the dishwasher. He was supposed to meet his friends at the movies, but that wasn't about to happen anytime soon.

Sam, her father, descended the stairs and gave Lizzie a stern look. "Don't do anything we wouldn't approve of tonight."

"Dad! Of course I wouldn't."

Lizzie smiled to herself. She used to get annoyed when her father said things like that. Now she just laughed. It was his way of being protective.

"Don't wait up!" Lizzie called as soon as the doorbell rang. She slid out the front door and closed it securely behind her. It wasn't until that moment that she looked up and smiled at her date.

Henry looked great as usual. His hair was combed in a natural style and his hands were in his jeans pockets. He looked down at Lizzie with a baffled expression on his face.

"In a rush?"

Lizzie's voice took on a joking tone. "I just couldn't wait to see you!"

They walked quickly to Henry's car. They had only first met a few weeks before graduation. Lizzie had been to a few of his track meets and they had gone to get coffee with friends, but they had never been out by themselves.

Lizzie hoped the evening would go well. Now that college was done, she had time for a new guy in her life. Henry was polite, clean and an all around nice guy. He seemed to good to be true.

As his car cruised down her street, a thought suddenly dawned on her.

"Where are we going?"

"Did I forget to tell you?" A small smile spread across Henry's face.

"Yes." Lizzie replied. "And I can tell from the look on your face that you didn't tell me on purpose!"

"How does a night at the museum sound?"

"What?"

"Yeah, I got us tickets for the Clearwater Museum on Duke Street. There's a big exhibit opening tonight and the guy who created it is going to be there."

"That sounds good to me. Will there be snacks?"

Henry looked at Lizzie, clearly astonished.

"Relax!" She playfully swatted his arm. "I'm just kidding."

Lizzie sat back in her seat, remembering the past. On her first and only date with Tudgeman had been to the museum. She remembered the day fondly, not because sparks flew but because Larry had been such a nice guy. She wondered about what he had been up to. The last time she had heard of him, he had been attending a top-notch university.

It was difficult to find a spot to park the car.

"Why don't you head to the building?" Henry suggested. "I'll park the car and meet you inside."

Lizzie could tell from the parking lot that the main lobby would be very crowded. When she entered the building, she clutched her ticket in her left hand and headed for the back of the line.

In just a few minutes, she was near the front. A familiar voice sounded through the air. All of a sudden Lizzie noticed a sign that read: _Duke Street welcomes scientist Larry Tudgeman to the Clearwater Museum!_

_What?_ She thought, _when did Tudgeman become a semi famous scientist?_

"Well…" Lizzie said as Larry extended his hand to her. "Look at you!"

"Lizzie?"

"I am." Lizzie grinned. "When did this happen?"

"A few months ago." Larry smiled back. "My professors were so impressed with my experiments that they showed them to their colleagues. A few weeks later, the museum called me to see if I was interested in sharing my work."

"Wow!" Lizzie shook her head. "Congratulations! You've come so far since high school. Is that a tie you're wearing?'

"Indeed it is." Larry laughed. "I'd love to talk more, but it seems that we're holding up the line. Come talk to me before you leave, ok?"

"Sure."

Lizzie headed into the main part of the museum. There were arrows pointing to Tudgeman's exhibit, but she decided to wait where she was. Henry would be through the line in just a few minutes.

"Hey!" Henry called out when he finally met up with her. "Did you see that they have the scientist out front?"

"I did. And he's a friend of mine from high school!"

Henry was surprised. He suggested that they go to see the lecture that Larry was going to give in the conference room. Lizzie thought that was a good idea. Larry had matured so much in just four years! He probably had amazing things to say.

While Henry went to get them seats, Lizzie stopped by the ladies room. She was in the stall when she heard a male voice humming in the main part of the bathroom.

"Am I in the wrong bathroom?" She asked, clearly confused. She could have sworn that the mens room was on the left, and not the right.

"Oops!" The voice called out. "Sorry, miss! I'm part of the cleaning crew. I didn't realize there was anyone in here."

"It's not big deal."

Lizzie walked quickly to the sink so that she could was her hands. She wanted to get out of there as fast as possible. Henry would be wondering where she was. As she grabbed a paper towel from the stack, she saw a familiar face in the mirror and it wasn't her own.

"Ethan?"

Ethan looked up from the broom and dustpan he had been using. "Lizzie? No way!"

"I'd give you a hug." Lizzie offered, "But considering the circumstances, we shouldn't."

"Totally." Ethan agreed. "How have you been?"

"Great!" Lizzie said. "I just graduated and I'm working on finding a job. How have you been?"

"Just fine." Ethan motioned towards his dustpan and brush. "I've been working steadily at the museum for almost two years. I don't normally clean restrooms, but considering all of the people here tonight, I'm working wherever I'm needed."

"That's really great. Have you talked to Tudgeman?"

Ethan grinned. "Of course! And I think there's someone else here that you're probably dying to talk to."

"Who?"

"You'll find out." Ethan said, with an air of mystery in his voice.

"Alright. I guess I'll see you later."

Lizzie exited the restroom quickly. As she headed to the conference room, she thought about what Ethan had said. What did he mean by someone special? In high school Ethan hadn't been known for making sense, so she decided to push that thought out of her head.

She couldn't believe how many cameras and reporters were there. Henry waved to her, so she headed over to take her seat beside him.

Larry's speech was very good. When he finished everyone clapped loud and long. Larry was so wise and articulate. He had grown up so much in a mere few years.

"Let's go look at some of the other exhibits." Lizzie suggested to Henry.

They headed to the door. Lizzie was just about out the door when she felt a hand clamp down on her arm. She turned around, ready to yell at the person but shock left her rendered speechless.

"Hello Lizzie." Gordo said calmly.

"Oh my god!" Lizzie squealed. She wrapped her arms around him, unaware of the expensive video camera that was in his left hand. "What are you doing here?"

"I told you I had an internship with channel 11 a while ago." Gordo said, a small smile on his face. "I've worked my way up to a paying job. Don't you remember us discussing this in email?"

"Not really. I just can't believe this!" Lizzie laughed. "You, me, Tudge and Ethan all at the same place on the same night."

"Ethan's here?" Gordo looked around. "I haven't talked with him yet."

"I'm sure he's around here somewhere. Try the ladies room."

"What?"

"Just kidding!"

Gordo shifted the equipment to his other arm. "Can I interview you on your thoughts on Tudge's speech? That's kind of what my job is. I'm supposed to find out the views of the public."

"We're friends…" Lizzie began, "But no. You know I'm camera shy!"

Gordo shook his head. "I should have known. What do you say we gather everyone for coffee?"

"Sounds great! Can I bring my friend? He's in the next room."

"Of course. Nine o'clock at the Digital Bean? For old time's sake, of course."

"Perfect. The four of us have a lot of catching up to do!"


End file.
